The present invention pertains to a control device and a control method for a double-deck elevator system that has an upper deck and a lower deck conveyed simultaneously to two adjacent floors.
Conventional double-deck elevator systems can convey a very large number of passengers to the target floors with fewer stops than single-deck elevator systems and are used in skyscrapers and high-capacity buildings.
Double-deck elevator systems are furnished with a plurality of elevators that have an upper deck and a lower deck. A group management and control unit collects information, e.g., car (elevator car) position, direction of travel, car calls, and boarding hall calls via an elevator controller furnished for each elevator and outputs all control instructions based on this information to each elevator via each of the aforementioned elevator controllers.
The aforementioned car call input for the destination is provided by the passenger using some means, e.g., a control panel furnished for each deck of the double-deck elevator. Passengers who board press buttons for target floors on this control panel, the destination information for the passengers on each deck of the elevator is transmitted to the elevator controller.
A boarding hall call is provided from the elevator call panel placed near the door in an elevator boarding hall. The elevator call panel includes an ascending call button and a descending call button. A passenger that calls an elevator presses the button for the desired direction, and after boarding the called elevator, inputs the destination floor on the car operating panel.
In group control in existing double-deck elevators, during peak times, e.g., at the start of the workday or during lunch, for operation from the lobby or other designated high traffic area, a skip operation is often used to increase carrying capacity whereby the lower decks respond to both boarding hall calls and car calls on even-numbered floors. The upper decks respond to both boarding hall calls and car calls on odd-numbered floors. Stairs must be used by passengers to go from even to odd numbered floors and vice versa.
For times other than peak operation or in buildings in which it would be difficult to use the stairs, there is a method (unlimited operation) in which the responding deck is not limited to odd-numbered or even-numbered floors. Either deck can respond to all floors. In the past, a leading deck method or trailing deck method would have been used as the method of boarding hall call assignment in this unrestricted operation.
In a leading deck method of responding to boarding hall calls, the first deck relative to the direction of travel responds to hall calls. The upper deck responds to up boarding hall calls and the lower deck responds to down boarding hall calls.
In a trailing deck method of responding to boarding hall calls the second deck relative to the direction of travel responds to boarding hall calls. The lower deck responds to up boarding hall calls and the upper deck responds to down boarding hall calls.
In the aforementioned deck assignment operation for peak times, there are fewer stops, so that the cycle time is short and the carrying capacity from a reference floor, e.g., a lobby, or to the reference floor is improved. Conversely, however, it is difficult to move between general floors (for example, moving between an odd-numbered floor and an even-numbered floor, such as from the third floor to the eighth floor), and it is also necessary to use the stairs. For this reason, the placement of stairs in buildings must also be near the elevators.
In the aforementioned leading deck method and trailing deck method, there are no restrictions on the odd-numbered floors or even-numbered floors, and it is possible to move between general floors without using the stairs. Conversely, the disadvantages are that the number of stops increases, either of the decks may be operated without passengers, so that the operating efficiency will be poor, and they are not used to full advantage as double decks.
Normally, there is the concern that changing the assignment of boarding hall calls will confuse users, so that there are many restrictions. Particularly in an immediate reservation system (system in which the elevator responding to a boarding hall call is assigned immediately), there are the restrictions that the number of assignment changes is limited and that they are performed only if they result in significantly improved response time.
Double-deck elevator systems also have the same restrictions, and changes in boarding hall call assignment are generally performed cautiously. For this reason, if there were multiple boarding hall calls, the boarding hall calls would be assigned to allow the most efficient response at the time the call is entered and it would be difficult to change the assignment.
The present invention was devised in consideration of the aforementioned situation. It provides a control device and control method for double-deck elevator systems for servicing boarding hall calls and car calls with the fewest stops possible by assigning decks that can respond both to multiple car calls and boarding hall calls, while at the same time, by selecting and assigning the most suitable deck from all the decks of a plurality of elevators according to the boarding hall calls, will make elevator travel and passenger carrying more efficient.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the conventional methods and systems in the prior art, the present invention provides for a control device and control method for double-deck elevator systems that have an upper deck and a lower deck that are conveyed simultaneously to two adjacent floors, wherein the control device assigns decks to respond to car calls on each of the aforementioned decks and/or to boarding hall calls from each floor. An assignment control means is provided that determines whether it is possible to respond to a plurality of the aforementioned car calls and boarding hall calls simultaneously, and when they can be responded to simultaneously, the aforementioned deck assignments to the boarding hall calls are changed.
In another embodiment of the subject invention a control device and control method for a double-deck elevator system equipped with a plurality of elevators that have an upper deck and a lower deck that are conveyed simultaneously to two adjacent floors wherein the control device assigns elevator decks to respond to boarding hall calls from each floor, an assignment control means is provided that determines the response suitability for all the decks based on, the predicted response time by a deck to the boarding hall call, the likelihood ratio of said predicted response time, the effect on existing boarding hall calls by responding to the aforementioned boarding hall call, the car space available for said deck, and the number of elevators responding to the aforementioned boarding hall call, and assigns the most appropriate deck to respond to boarding hall calls from each of the aforementioned floors based on the determined response suitability, and the aforementioned assignment control means is characterized by the fact that it has a weighting function that weights each of the aforementioned data elements according to priority.